Deck-chair with automatic backrest locking device



June 2, 1964 F. ANDREOLI ETAL DECK-CHAIR WITH AUTOMATIC BACKREST LOCKING DEVICE Filed April 6, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J1me 2, 1964 F. ANDREOLI ETAL 3,135,551

DECK-CHAIR WITH AUTOMATIC BACKREST LOCKING DEVICE Filed April 6, 1962 r x 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,135,551 DECK-CHAIR WITH AUTOMATIC BACKREST LOCKING DEVICE Franco Andreoli and Ferruccio Andreoli, both of Camozzi St., Ponte San Pietro-Bergamo, Italy Filed Apr. 6, 1962, Ser. No. 185,691 8 Claims. (Cl. 297-359) This invention relates to deck chairs fitted with a cloth seat and back, and more particularly to improvements in devices for fixing the backrest of adjustable deck chairs in the desired adjusted position.

In the past, the different devices employed for fixing and locking the back portion of an adjustable deck chair in the adjusted position permitted only certain pre-established positions, which did not always correspond to those desired by the user.

An object of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of prior constructions and to provide deck chairs in which the backrest or back portion may be readily fixed and locked in any desired position without the limitation of a series of pre-established positions.

Another object is to provide a device for connecting the arms of a chair to the legs thereof in an unlimited number of adjusted positions to thereby adjust and lock the back of the chair in a corresponding unlimited number of positions.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following specification when taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the deck chair, partly broken away, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view, partly broken away, showing an armrest with the locking device which determines the position of the backrest of the chair shown in the released position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing the locking device in the locked position;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line X-Y of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 2, showing a modified form of the locking device in the released position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5, showing the locking device thereof in the locked position;

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line X-Y of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a modified form of the pivoted, bell-crank locking plate of FIGS. 5-7 with a rail, shown in broken lines, extending through the aligned openings formed therein;

FIG. 9 is a view, on a reduced scale, showing a modified form of the device illustrated in FIGS. 5-7;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the upper portion of a further modified form of the bell-crank locking plate; and

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary, perspective view, showing in cross-section a modified form of the rail forming a part of an armrest according to the present invention.

Referring now to the drawings, a pair of legs 1, which are pivotally connected togetherat the upper ends thereof by a rivet 2, are disposed on the outer side of each of the side rails 3 of the seat of the chair with the front leg of each of said pairs of legs being pivotally connected, as at 3a, to said rails 3 adjacent the front 4 of the seat.

At the rear 5 of the seat portion of the chair, vertically extending side rails 6 and 7 are disposed on the outer side of the side rails 3 and extend upwardly to the upper end 8 of the back portion of the chair. The side rails 6 and 7 are connected to the rear legs of the chair by links 9 and 10 which are pivotally connected at the upper ends thereof,

as at 9a, to the lower ends of the side rails 6 and 7, respectively. The lower ends of links 9 and 10 are pivotally connected, as at 9b and 10b, to the respective rear leg of the chair.

The cloth 14a, forming the seat of the chair, extends over cross-members, not shown, connecting the forward and rear ends of side members 3, and the opposite ends of the cloth are secured together by means of lacing 14. In like manner, the cloth 15a, forming the back of the chair, extends over a cross-member, not shown, extending between the upper ends of the vertically-extending side members 6 and 7 and over a cross-member extending between the rear ends of the side rails 3, and the opposite ends thereof are secured together by means of lacing 15. It may be desirable to attach the lower end of the cloth 15a directly to the upper surface of the cloth 14a at the rear 5 of the seat in order to provide a unitary cloth cover.

By providing a covering of the type described, the ten-- sion thereof may be readily adjusted independently for the seat portion and for the back portion. In addition, removal and replacement of the seat covering is readily and easily accomplished.

A pair of armrests 11 and 12 are pivotally connected at the rear ends thereof, as at 13, to the vertically-extending side rails 6 and 7, respectively, of the back portion of the chair. The novel adjusting and locking devices connecting the upper ends of the legs 1 to the armrests 11 and 12 are constructed and arranged to be operated at the same time and in like manner and therefore only the adjusting and locking device associated with the armrest 11 will be described.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the lower surface of the armrest 11 is formed with a longitudinal recess as at 16 and a rail 17, extending the length of the recess 16, is rigidly secured flush with the lower surface of the armrest 11 by screws 17a. The rail 17 is preferably of rectangular configuration as viewed in cross-section and of uniform size throughout its length. A bell-crank plate 18, of generally L-shaped configuration, is pivoted adjacent one end thereof on the rivet 2 at the upper ends of the legs 1. The other end of the bell-crank plate 18 extends upwardly as at 18"in a generally vertical direction. The upper end of the bell-crank plate 18 is of inverted, generally U- shaped configuration with the bottom 18" of the U being slightly wider than the width of the rail 17, and with the depending leg 18' extending downwardly from the bottom 18" and parallel with the portion 18' to maintain the inverted U-shaped portion hooked over the rail 17. As the distance between the legs 18 and 18' of the upper U- shaped end of bell-crank plate 18 is slightly greater than the width of the rail 17, the bell-crank plate, when disposed in the position shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, may slide on the rail as the armrest 11 is moved in either direction to the desired adjusted position. The lower surface L of the recess 16 is smooth and parallel with the smooth upper surface R of the rail 17. The lower surface L of the armrest 11 may be lined or covered with a fraction-resisting material M, if desired. The length of the base 18", between the forward end 19 and the rearward edge 20 thereof, is greater than the distance between the lower surface L of the armrest 11 and the upper surface R of the rail 17. Thus, as shown in FIG. 3, when the armrest 11 is moved downwardly in the direction of A about pivot 13, the bell-crank plate 18 will be pivoted about the rivet 2 in a clockwise direction, wedging the forward edge 19 thereof against the lower surface L of the armrest 11 and the rear edge 20 thereof against the upper surface R of the rail 17, and locking the armrest 11 to the upper end of the legs 1, thereby positioning the back of the chair, which is connected to the rear end of the armrests by the pivots 13, in the desired adjusted position. Preferably, the forward edge 19 and, if desired, the rear edge 20 are sharp in order to hold, without slipping, on the engaged surfaces when in the locked position.

In order to limit the pivotal movement of the bellcrank plate 18 in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIGS. 2 and 3, a recess 21a is formed in the lower portion of the bell-crank plate concentric with the rivet 2. A stop pin 21 is rigidly mounted in the rear leg 1, with a portion thereof protruding into the recess 21a in such a manner that the stop pin 21 cooperates with a wall 21b of the recess to limit the counterclockwise pivotal movement of the bell-crank plate to the position indicated in FIG. 2, wherein the upwardly-extending portion 18' is substantially vertical and the base 18" of the U-shaped upper end of the bell-crank plate is substantially parallel with the opposed surfaces L and R of the armrest and rail, respectively. It will be seen that by lifting the forward end of the armrest 11 upwardly in the direction indicated by the arrow A in FIG. 2, the armrest and therefore the back of the chair may be moved with respect to the bell-crank plate 18 while, when the forward end of the armrest 11 is lowered, as indicated by the arrow A of FIG. 3, the armrest and back portionof the chair are locked in adjusted position to the bell-crank plate 18 and thus to the legs 1.

In a modified form of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 5-7, the rail 17, is rectangular in cross-section, and is of uniform size and configuration throughout its length. A pair of spaced, parallel lugs 22 and 22a, provided with aligned openings 23 and 24 therethrough, extend laterally outwardly from the upper end of the bellcrank plate 18, with the rail 17 extending through the aligned openings 23 and 24. The openings 23 and 24 are slightly wider than the width of rail 17 to permit the bell-crank plate 18 to slide freely thereon when it is disposed in the position shown in FIG. 5 while the height of the openings 23 and 24 is sufiieiently greater than the height of the rail 17 to permit the bell-crank plate 18 to pivot between the positions shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

When the forward end of the armrest 11 is raised slightly or the armrest is moved forwardly in the direction of the arrows F as shown in FIG. 5, the rail 17 slides freely through the openings 23 and 24 for adjusting the back of the chair to the desired position. When the armrest 11 is lowered and moved slightly rearwardly in the direction of the arrow B as shown in FIG. 6, the bellcrank plate 18 is pivoted in a clockwise direction and the lower transverse wall of the opening 23 in the lug 22 engages the lower surfaces of the rail 17 while the upper transverse wall of the opening 24 of the lug 22a engages the upper surface of the rail 17, thereby frictionally wedging and locking the bell-crank plate 18 to the rail 17 to maintain the back in the desired adjusted position. The walls of the openings 23 and 24, which engage the rail 17, may present sharp edges to grip and lock the bellcrank plate 18 to the rail 17 without sliding movement thereon. The upper and lower surfaces of the rail 17 are smooth and parallel and are free from depressions or protuberances. It will thus be seen that the back of the chair may be positioned in an unlimited number of positions by locking the rail 17 to the upper end of legs 1 by means of the bell-crank plate 18. This feature is inherent in all forms of the invention.

As illustrated in the modification of FIG. 8, the opening 24a in the lug 22a may be narrower at the upper end than at the lower end thereof. The rail 17, shown in broken lines extending through the openings 23 and 24a, is slightly wider than the upper end of opening 24:; whereby when the bell-crank plate 18 is pivoted to the position shown in FIG. 6, the rail will become wedged between the sides of the opening 24a and thus block the bellcrank plate 18 to the rail 17.

In the modification illustrated in FIG. 9, a compression spring 26 is positioned between an abutment 26a formed on the upper end of the rear leg 1, and a shoulder 26!) formed on the bell-crank plate 18 in order to bias 4 the bell-crank plate 18 to rotate about the rivet 2 in a counterclockwise direction. The spring 26 will tend to unlock the bell-crank plate 18 from the rail 17 and prevents the bell-crank plate from returning to the locked position, as shown in FIG. 9, while the rail 17 is sliding through the openings provided in the lugs 22 and 22a during adjustment of the back of the chair to the desired position. In addition, the spring 26, by pivoting the bellcrank plate 18 to the released position, permits the folding of the deck chair without accidental locking of the bell-crank plate 18 to the rail 17 during this operation.

The upper end of the bell-crank plate 18, shown in the modification of FIG. 10, is provided with a keyholeshape opening 24' in the lug 22a. This keyhole configuration of the opening 24 provides an improved lock between the bell-crank plate 18 and the rail 17 extending therethrough, the restricted portion of the keyhole opening wedging the rail therein when in locked position.

As shown in FIG. 11, the rail 17 may be generally trapezoidal as viewed in cross-section with the upper portion of the side of the rail converging upwardly. It will be obvious that the cross-sectional configuration of the rail 17 may assume any desired configuration and that either or both of the openings formed in the lugs 22 and 22a may be of the desired and appropriate configuration to cooperate with the rail extending therethrough for effectively wedging and locking the bell-crank plate 18 to the rail 17. The top edges of the rail may be rounded olf to provide for easy sliding of the rail through the locking device.

While there has been shown several preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes, alterations and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

We claim:

1. In an adjustable deck chair having a seat portion, a back portion and a pair of legs hingedly connected together at the upper ends thereof and diverging downwardly therefrom disposed on each side of said chair with one of the legs of each of said pairs being pivotally connected to said seat portion and the other of the legs being pivotally connected to said back portion: an arm rest disposed on each side of said chair with the rear end thereof pivotally connected to said back portion; a rail extending longitudinally of each of said arm rests and disposed parallel with and spaced a fixed distance from a lower surface thereof and fixedly attached thereto, the opposed surfaces of said arm rest and said rail being substantially smooth; a bell-crank plate pivotally connected at one end thereof to the upper end of each of said pairs of legs, the other end of said plates being disposed in said space between the lower surface of the appertaining arm rest and the rail attached thereto for sliding movement and for locking therein; said other end of each of said plates including a dimension less than said predetermined distance for permitting sliding movement of said other end in said space and a dimension greater than said predetermined distance for wedging said other end between the lower surface of the appertaining arm rest and the rail attached thereto and locking said ends in adjusted position; and stop means engageable with each of said plates for limiting pivotal movement thereof in one direction to position said other end of said plates for sliding movement in said space, pivotal movement of said plates in the other direction resulting in locking said other ends in adjusted position, each of said plates being independently pivoted between sliding and locked position by raising and lowering respectively the appertaining arm rest.

2. An adjustable deck chair according to claim 1 in which said other end of each of said bell-crank plates is of inverted U shape configuration and hooks over the appertaining rail, the base of the U shaped ends being fiat and thinner than the distance between the lower surface of the appertaining arm and the rail attached thereto, the length of each of said bases between the sides of said U shaped ends being slightly greater than the width of the appertaining rail, and the width of each of said bases being greater than the distance between the lower surface of the appertaining arm and the rail attached thereto.

3. In an adjustable deck chair having a seat portion, a back portion and a pair of legs hingedly connected together at the upper ends thereof and diverging downwardly therefrom disposed on each side of said chair with one of the legs of each of said pairs being pivotally connected to said seat portion and the other of the legs being pivotally connected to said back portion; an arm rest disposed on each side of said chair with the rear end thereof pivotally connected to said back portion; a rail extending longitudinally of each of said arm rests and disposed parallel with and spaced 2. fixed distance from a lower surface thereof and fixedly attached thereto, the surface of said rails in the longitudinal direction being substantially smooth and free of depressions and protuberances; a bell-crank plate pivotally connected at one end thereof to the upper end of each of said pairs of legs, the other end of said plates being in continuous engagement with the rail of the appertaining arm rest for sliding movement thereon and for frictional locking in adjusted'position therewith, said other end of said plates including a first portion for sliding on said rail and a second portion for wedging andlocking to said rail, said plates, when pivoted in one direction to a first position, positioning said other end with said first portion in engagement with the appertaining rail, said plates, when pivoted in the other direction to a second position, positioning said other end with said second portion in engagement with the appertaining rail, and stop means engageable with each of said plates for limiting pivotal movement thereof in said one direction to said first position, each of said plates being independently pivoted between said first and said second positions by raising and lowering respectively the appertaining arm rest.

4. An adjustable deck chair according to claim 3 in which means is operably connected to each of said bellcrank plates biasing said plates in said one direction to said first position.

5. An adjustable deck chair according to claim 3 in which said lower surface of each of said arm rests is the bottom wall of a recess extending upwardly into said- 7 arm rests from the lower surface thereof and each of said rails is mounted with the lower surface thereof flush with the lower surface of the appertaining arm rest.

6. In an adjustable deck chair having a seat portion, a back portion and a pair of legs hingedly connected together at the upper ends thereof and diverging downwardly therefrom disposed on each side of said chair with one of the legs of each of said pairs being pivotally connected to said seat portion and the other of the legs being pivotally connected to said back portion; an arm rest disposed on each side of said chair with the rear end thereof pivotally connected to said back portion; a bell-crank plate pivotally connected at one end thereof to the upper end of each of said pairs of legs, the other end of each of said plates including a pair of spaced, parallel lugs provided with aligned openings therethrough; a rail extending longitudinally of each of said arm rests and disposed parallel with and spaced a fixed distance from a lower surface thereof and fixedly attached thereto, said rails being uniform from end to end in crosssectional size and configuration, the surface of said rails in the longitudinal direction being substantially smooth and free of depressions and protuberances, each of said rails being slightly smaller in cross-section than the openings in the appertaining plate and extending therethrough, the other end of each of said plates when pivoted in one direction to a first position, positioning said parallel lugs normal to the exterior surface of the appertaining rail for sliding movement of the rail therein and when pivoted in the other direction to a second position, positioning said parallel lugs at an angle to the exterior surface of the appertaining rail for frictional wedging and locking the rail in adjusted position therein, and stop means engageable with each of said plates for limiting pivotal movement thereof in said one direction to position said lugs in said first position, each of said plates being independently pivoted between said first and second po sitions by raising and lowering respectively the appertaining arm rest.

7. An adjustable deck chair according to claim 6 in which said rails are generally rectangular in cross-section with the top wall being narrower than the bottom wall and with the side walls diverging from said top wall downwardly and the opening in at least the lug which leads when each of said plates is pivoted from said first to said second position having a configuration conforming to that of the rail extending therethrough.

8. In an adjustable deck chair having a seat portion, a back portion and a pair of legs hingedly connected together at the upper ends thereof and diverging downwardly therefrom disposed on each side of said chair with one of the legs of each of said pairs being pivotally connected to said seat portion and the other of the legs being pivotally connected to said back portion; an arm rest disposed on each side of said chair with the rear end thereof pivotally connected to said back portion; a bell-crank plate pivotally connected at one end thereof to the upper end of each of said pairs of legs for movement of the other end thereof forwardly and rearwardly of said chair, the other end of said plates being formed 1 with an opening extending therethrough in the longitudinal direction of the respective arm; a rail disposed longitudinally of a lower surface of each of said arm rests and fixedly attached thereto, said rails being spaced in fixed distance from said lower surfaces and passing through said opening in the corresponding bell-crank plate, said opening in each of said plates being elongated in a vertical direction and with the side Walls thereof converging upwardly to provide a narrower opening adjacent the upper end of said openings than at the lower end thereof, said rails having a smooth surface free of depressions and protuberances and being slightly narrower than the lower portion of the respective opening for sliding movement therethrough when said plates are pivoted forwardly of said chair to a first position and being slightly wider than the upper portion of said opening for wedging and locking therein when said plates are pivoted rearwardly to a second position; and stop means engageable with each of said plates for limiting pivotal movement thereof in said forward direction to said first position, each of said plates being independently pivoted between said first and said second positions.

References (lited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,213,590 Parry Sept. 3, 1940 2,638,970 Harber May 19, 1953 2,655,200 Lorenz Oct. 13, 1953 2,815,799 Lo Vico Dec. 10, 1957 3,075,811 Brown Jan. 29, 1963 

1. IN AN ADJUSTABLE DECK CHAIR HAVING A SEAT PORTION, A BACK PORTION AND A PAIR OF LEGS HINGEDLY CONNECTED TOGETHER AT THE UPPER ENDS THEREOF AND DIVERGING DOWNWARDLY THEREFROM DISPOSED ON EACH SIDE OF SAID CHAIR WITH ONE OF THE LEGS OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID SEAT PORTION AND THE OTHER OF THE LEGS BEING PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BACK PORTION: AN ARM REST DISPOSED ON EACH SIDE OF SAID CHAIR WITH THE REAR END THEREOF PIVOTALLY CONNECTED TO SAID BACK PORTION; A RAIL EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY OF EACH OF SAID ARM RESTS AND DISPOSED PARALLEL WITH AND SPACED A FIXED DISTANCE FROM A LOWER SURFACE THEREOF AND FIXEDLY ATTACHED THERETO, THE OPPOSED SURFACES OF SAID ARM REST AND SAID RAIL BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMOOTH; A BELL-CRANK PLATE PIVOTALLY CONNECTED AT ONE END THEREOF TO THE UPPER END OF EACH OF SAID PAIRS OF LEGS, THE OTHER END OF SAID PLATES BEING DISPOSED IN SAID SPACE BETWEEN THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE APPERTAINING ARM REST AND THE RAIL ATTACHED THERETO FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT AND FOR LOCKING THEREIN; SAID OTHER END OF EACH OF SAID PLATES INCLUDING A DIMENSION LESS THAN SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FOR PERMITTING SLIDING MOVEMENT OF SAID OTHER END IN SAID SPACE AND A DIMENSION GREATER THAN SAID PREDETERMINED DISTANCE FOR WEDGING SAID OTHER END BETWEEN THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE APPERTAINING ARM REST AND THE RAIL ATTACHED THERETO AND LOCKING SAID ENDS IN ADJUSTED POSITION; AND STOP MEANS ENGAGEABLE WITH EACH OF SAID PLATES FOR LIMITING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT THEREOF IN ONE DIRECTION TO POSITION SAID OTHER END OF SAID PLATES FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT IN SAID SPACE, PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID PLATES IN THE OTHER DIRECTION RESULTING IN LOCKING SAID OTHER ENDS IN ADJUSTED POSITION, EACH OF SAID PLATES BEING INDEPENDENTLY PIVOTED BETWEEN SLIDING AND LOCKED POSITION BY RAISING AND LOWERING RESPECTIVELY THE APPERTAINING ARM REST. 